Louis gatiimann



(No Model.)

"Lg GATHMANN. SAFETY FUSE PoR HIGH EXPLosIvB sHBLLs.

Nb. 583,042. Patented May 25,1897.

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LOUIS GATIIMANN, OF CHIOAGO,IIILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE VIIITMAN' PATENT OEEICE.'

llICMULLEN, OF IIOTON, CANADA.

SAFETY-FUSE FOR HIGH-EXPLOSIYE SHELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of'IetterS Patent No. 583,042, dated May 25, 1897. Application filed December l5, 1896. Serial No. 615,768.' (No model.)

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS GATHMANN, -oi" Chicago, Illinois, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Fuses for High-Explosive Shells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel method of i constructing a safety-fuse for shells carrying large masses of high explosives, whereby the danger of accidental and premature explosion of said shell is prevented and an instantaneous explosion is insured immediately upon the shell striking any resisting object, such as armor-platesor earthworks. j To attain this s'ecurity from accidental and pre# mature explosion, I provide a fuse wherein the detonating charge isnormally located at such distance from the priming charge that it will not detonate said charge even though l the fuse should itself explode. That is to say, the detonating charge or fuse, consisting of dry guncotton and a -fulminating cap, is preferably mounted in a thin shell or stock normally supported so as to occupya central position in a strongly-constructed detonating-chamber, which thus locates the fuse at a considerable distance from the priming and main body lof explosives, which, as they require a sha-rp detonation in immediate contact with them to cause their explosion, will not be effected by any premature or accidental detonation of fuse.- This distanceof detonating charge or fuse from priming charge is gradually decreased after the shell has been fired from the gun, and its velocity continues to decrease until finally when the shell has made a flight of several hundred yards the detonating charge or fuse has decreased the distance between. it and the priming charge to Wil and rests in close contact wi th the same. The percussionfcap of the detonating4 charge or fuse will then explode the' same in the. usual manner upon impact lor retardation of the shell and thereby cause the almost instantaneous explosion of the priming and main charge of the explosives.

I obtain the before-stated results as\follo\vs First, I provide a shell loaded with large masses of high explosives, said shell prefer-4 5o ably having an open or partially'open base through Awhich the gases of the expellingl charge may pass to the interior of the shell lo material, such as guncotton containing only a small percentage of water, is located, and,

third, I also provide a strongly-constructed chamber or chambers having an area much larger than that of the fuse, wherein a detonating cartridge or fuse is located, said chamber protecting the priming and main charges of \high explosives from premature explosion even though the detonating-cartridge of the fuse should be accidentally or Iprematurely exploded.

It is a well-known tact that some high ex plosives, notably wet guncotton, will not explode by any ordinary.v concussion or blow,

.and that itis necessary to explode a stronglycharged detonating cap or cartridge in close proximity. to such explosives to insure their explosion. of construction, while the detonating cap or fuse is kept apart from the priming charge This I accomplish by my mode f and main body of explosive at least until the projectile has been discharged from the gun. In the accompanying drawings, Figurel is a longitudinal section of a shell or projectile `having a detonator with its priming-chamber and fuse at each end. Fig. 2 is an' enlarged longitudinal section of priming and detonating cases, showing a plunger and fuse in the position they occupy in the shell before the latter'has beenired from the gun. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section showing the" position of said plunger and fuse in the shell:

after it has been fired from the gum-the'fuse having passed into the priming-chamber and being in .close contact with the plunger.`

Inthe'drawings the projectile or shell is marked A and the main explosive charge B.

securedeither to the head or base of the shell A, depending upon the location desired, or,l

twodetonating-cases may be used in each shell, one ateach'end, to insure against mis-4 fire.' The detonator-chamber case D is preferably secured to the -primer-chamber case .95.. The priming-chamber case C is preferably n the detonating-chamber D is located a percussion-fuse, which consists ot a plunger' l j", held .in place in a stock g by a brittle screw 'h or .other suitable holding device, a detonating charge of dry guncotton IQ held in' one vex1d.of .the plunger f, and a fulminate cap m,

. aILcOntained and supported within a thin tubel or container a.

' plunger f is secured a softv metallic stud p,

lo which-will absorb some of the severe shock n the release of the holding device due to the ring of the gun."

.the forward part of the det/Quator-case D -lsfsecured a guide-tube O, the forward end- '15 yof which is closed. by a plunger R, normally held in place by the brittle screw 7L', as shown in Fig. ,2. vThe plunger f and also the plungerR are normally held in place bythe brittle screws to guard against the fuse or detonating-cartridge coming into contact with the ,priming charge close enough to endanger same shouldan explosion of said fuse or detonating-cartridge occur prematurely.

S. indicates the priming charge, preferably z5 of yguncotton, containing a smaller percentage of water than the mai-n charge B. 4 W indicates an asbestos pad or Washer.

When the shell is fired from the gun, the

plngers f and R, being held to the shell only 3 .ings and will set back the stud p on the plunger y,absorbing a portion of the shock, whilethe shoulders r on the plunger R strike upon the end of guide-tube Oand prevent it from '33 'iovihg back too Ifar Fig. 3 shows the nosmalpositionof the fuse mechanism after the shell has been red from the gun and reached a point, say, several hundred yards from the muzzle of same and has 4o decreasedits speed from the highest imparted by the gun.

The plungers R and f, Vheilig heavier than the mean density of the shell and combined contents and not being subjected to the exterior aerial resistance of said shell A, will in consequence attain forward movement rela.

tive to the shell, and after the shell has made a flight of,I say,.,several hundred yards will reach the positions indicated in Fig. 3.

By constructing a shell loadedwith high explosives of three distinct parts, as herein shown and described, the shell is protected from any .accidentalor premature explosion. Thesethree parts are, rst, the shell A, con- 5 5 taining the large mass of high explosive, prefff erably Wet guncotton; second, a primingv chamber case C, containing the more sensitivecharge of guncotton or other explosive, and, third, a detonating-chamber case I), in 6o which the most sensitive or initial explosive is located, said chamber .being large and strong enough to withstand the full pressure exerted byanaccidental or premature explosion of the detonating charge or fuse which is held therein without communicating any severe shock to thepriming or main charge of explosives. The detonating-chamber, as shown is about On the base of thev by the brittle screws, will break their fasten# thirty times as large as the fuse located therein. `The initial explosive force of dry kguncotton is estimated as above four hundred thousand pounds to the square vinch when closely confined, and such force decreases in proportion to the increased area wherein it is exerted." My device is intended to so reduce it by providing increased area about it that the Walls of the strongly-constructed chamber i will be Vample to withstand the shock. The required arca may be easily computed, and 'thus by` properly applying my invention any premature explosion ofthe fuse will result in no damage to the shell itself other than a misfire.4 The fuse should preferably be located in the axis of the chamber, so that the force of an accidental explosion will be distributed equally upon its walls.

It is obvious that modifications of my invent-ion may be made. For example, the detonating charge or fuse might be located in various positions within the body of the shell. The shell. may also be of various constructions, although I have shown the preferred form.

I claimy l. In ahighfexplosive shell, a safety-fuse consisting of a chamber with walls of predetermined strength, with a fuse in said chamber, the cubical capacity4 of said chamber bearing a certain constant relationship to the cubical capacity of thefuse, whereby, when the said fuse is exploded in the said chamber, the torce ot the explosion is reduced to less than a rupturing strain of the chamber and the said explosion is isolated.

2. The herein-described. improvements in fuses for high-explosive shells consisting of a chamber containing a priming charge of explosive materiaha second chamber, a fuse IOO normally heldv within said second chamber and a normally-closed passage between said chambers through which the fuse may pass during the flight oi' the shell, substantially as described.

IIO

' The combination with an explosive shell of a d'etonatorconsisting of a chamber containing a priming charge of explosive ma terial, a second orl fuse chamber located lin line therewith, a guide-tube connecting said chambers and a fuse normally held in the second chamber in line with said tube, said fuse-chamber being of a cubical capacity greatly in excess of that of the fuse contained therein, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an explosive shell of a detonator consisting of a priming-chamber having a priming charge of explosive ma-A terial secured therein witha central passage or opening through the body'of said charge,

a detonating or fuse chamber, a fuse sup ported therein, a' guidetube connectingsaid 'chambers and a plunger normally supported within andl closing said tube, substantially as described.

5. The `herein-described improvement in fuses for hi gli-explosive shells consisting of a .casing providing; in one end thereof :t prim- Asaid detonatinmchamber n line with said tube and aplunger normallysustained Within and closing' said tube, said plunger and said fuse being adapted to be dislodged by inomentum during the ight of the shell, sub= stantially as deseljibed.

G. In a safety-fuse forhigh-explosive shells 'the eombination with :t detonator-casing llaving a priming-chamber and a file ewlmmber,

a guide-tube Connecting said chambers and :t fuse-supp0rt located witbilthe fuse-chamber 1 5 and adapted to eupport the fuse in line with the guide-tube and said support being open to the fuse-chamber space whereby the shock of :L premature explosion may be dissipated Within said Chamber, substantially as dezo scribed.

X LOUIS GATIIMANN. Witnessesz )L C. BIASS'IE, H. W. .NIMULLEX 

